True
by The Light Of You And Me
Summary: Sonic and Tails have been friends for endless years. Whenever something goes wrong the other will always be there to rescue them and pull them to safety. But now something is different. There is a new evil festering inside an old enemy and this time, maybe they won't be able to save each other. Eventual Sontails- plus alternative ending for non-shippers, rate T for dark(ish) themes
1. Chapter 1

**My first multi chapter story :) This idea has been in my head for a long time and now I've finally had the time to start writing it up.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to any of the Sonic franchise and I am making no money from writing this.**

Birds sang their songs, the leaves on the trees rustled slightly in the morning breeze and the early rays of sunlight illuminated the room. Tails was thankful for the natural daylight; working under lamplight never really worked too well. He was sat by the window in his workshop gazing out at the view in front of him, a few random pieces of metal in his hands. He seemed to be twisting them together somehow but he wasn't really paying much attention to what he was doing. He was more focused on the sunrise. He had always held a type of fascination for watching the sun burst into the sky and since he was up early almost every morning he would sit and watch the sunrise as much as he could. Something about seeing the first rays of light creep over the horizon comforted Tails somewhat. It made him feel safe that the sun appeared in the sky in the same place every day and nothing about that would ever change. Sighing to himself quietly he slipped off his chair and returned to his work bench, glancing back at the sun one last time. It had been relatively peaceful recently so Tails had actually had a chance to fully repair many of his inventions that had been destroyed in various battles with Dr Eggman. He reached over the small pile of scrap metal towards the place where his screwdriver usually sat, only for his hand to softly collide with the hard wooden surface of his bench. He tilted his head in confusion and stared at his hand for a moment before the memory of where he had left his screwdriver returned to him. He had been over at Sonic's yesterday to repair something for him. Tails had stayed for a while afterwards and must have just forgotten it when he left. Quickly the fox pulled out his phone and dialed Sonic's number. After a couple of rings his friend picked up.

"Hey Tails, how's it going?"

"Wow, I'm surprised you're even awake this early! Anyway, I think I left some tools at your house yesterday so is it okay it I come pick them up?"

"Sure thing"

"Okay I'll see you in a bit"

"Yeah, see you"

Tails hung up the phone and put in back down on the table. With nothing else to do he decided it would be best to go to Sonic's sooner rather than later. He quickly left the workshop and began making his way to his friend's house. After about 5 minutes Tails' mind began to drift and his body fell into automatic. He began to think about all the adventures he had been on, all the wonder he had seen... but all the pain he had also felt. Suddenly the snapping of a twig pulled Tails from his darkening thoughts. His body froze and his ears strained. He felt the presence of someone watching him in the shadows; someone who was definitely not his friend. Slowly he turned himself in a circle, scanning his surroundings. But just as he was about to take a step forward, a sharp pain hit him squarely in the back of his head. It was so sudden that he barely had time to choke out a call for help before the pain washed over him and he lost all consciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

Darkness; that's all Tails could see. Just complete and utter darkness. His head was aching and the smell of metal filled his nose. But despite the blackness around him he still knew exactly where he was; he was undoubtedly in one of Dr Eggman's machines. He started to sit up but recoiled sharply as his head hit against something above him. Slowly he reached a hand up and pressed his fingers to the low ceiling above him. Carefully he began moving his hands across the walls around him, trying to map out what kind of room he could be in. It was small, rectangular and cold. It had no windows and only a single barred and locked door. It almost seemed like...

"Ah, you're finally awake! Having fun in your little cell?"

Harsh, bright lights flickered on and Tails had to shield his face. Once his eyes adjusted he saw Eggman stood on the other side of the door, smirking at him.

"What do you want with me?" Tails growled.

"Woah, easy there kid. No point having all that anger since this going to be one of the last days of your life"

"W-What do you mean?" Tails cursed internally at the crack in his voice. He had faced Eggman hundreds of times before, so why was he so scared this time?

"Oh don't worry, I'm sure your friends will save you. They will be looking for you, right?"

"Of course they will! And they'll beat you, just like they always do"

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you. Not after what I have planned for you" Eggman's eyes gleamed with a horrible sense of glee and Tails' heart momentarily froze. Never before had he seen such... _evil_ in Eggman's eyes.

"After all these years I've grown tired of chasing after Sonic and playing his silly games. But now I have created something he cannot defeat. I will destroy him so completely that he will bow down to me in about... 2 days from now"

"Sonic would never give in to you!"

"I wouldn't be so sure. I don't expect you to understand but everyone has their weakest point. After all these years of chasing and running, I have finally found his. To tell you the truth, I laughed when I first found it. I had spent years searching for it but it was right by his side, just like it had been this whole time. And I will use it to crush his very soul!"

"Well if it's so important then what is it?" Tails prayed that his faux confidence didn't sound too forced.

"Hmph, don't worry. I'm sure you'll figure that out soon enough"

With that Eggman turned on his heels and strode out of the room. The lights flickered into nothing and Tails was left once again alone in the dark.

* * *

It had been hours since Tails had called Sonic earlier that day. At first Sonic had no reason to worry; maybe his friend was just taking his time or he got distracted by one of his other projects (as usual). But once the sun began to set Sonic called his friend multiple times and each time there was no answer. He told himself it was nothing but he couldn't stop that small spark of fear igniting. So he took it upon himself to go and see what Tails was up to, just to make sure he was okay. But as he walked out of his door he managed to crash straight into Amy.

"Oh, sorry Sonic!" Amy squeaked in surprise.

"It's fine, really" Sonic quickly took a step to the side.

"What's wrong?" Amy asked after a pause.

"Nothing, I'm fine" Sonic replied a little too quickly and Amy instantly knew he was lying. He sighed and looked down at his feet for a moment before looking back up at his friend.

"You don't happen to know where Tails is, do you?"

"Well I haven't seen him today..."

"It's just, this morning he called to say he was coming over but he never arrived. I've been trying to call him but he's not picking up and I can't help but feel something has happened to him"

"Maybe we should go check his workshop" Amy suggested and Sonic nodded. Together they made their way up to their friend's workshop. Once they opened the door instantly Sonic felt something was wrong. All the lights were off and not a single sound could be heard. The two hedgehogs called out for their friend but no reply ever came back. Quickly they left and mostly ran all the way to Tails' house. But no one was there either, which caused Sonic to really begin to worry.

"I'm sure he's fine" Amy forced a smile but her words held no confidence.

"We have to look for him!" Sonic tried to burst out the door but Amy caught him by the wrist.

"It's no use now. It's getting late and it's pitch black outside. Trying to find him would be almost impossible. I'm sure he'll be fine until morning, wherever he is"

Reluctantly Sonic had to agree; there was no chance they would be able to properly look for Tails in the dark. Slowly they trudged home, Amy bidding her goodbyes once they reached Sonic's house. He rolled himself into bed but he did not fall asleep for hours.

He just couldn't help feeling something awful had happened to Tails...


	3. Chapter 3

Tails didn't usually get very scared. But when he did, there was nothing he could do to stop it. He was certain his friends would rescue him. But the terrible glint he had seen in Eggman's eyes was something he could not easily forget. When had he turned so cold? Tails always knew Eggman was a little insane- you had to be if you were given the title of 'mad scientist' by everyone around you- but this was something new altogether. This was Eggman at pure breaking point. And for the first time since they had known each other, Tails wasn't sure if Sonic could win. He wanted to help them; he wanted to burst out of his cold, dark cell and warn his friends about the dangers they were about to face. He became torn between wanting his friends to rescue him and wanting them to leave him be and keep themselves safe. He knew they would come to his aid eventually, just like they always did when one of them was in danger. But was it really worth the risk? Would Eggman still be easy enough to beat? Tails felt so hopeless as he lay there on the cold metallic ledge he had woken up on, unable to do a single thing to help his friends. So instead his mind flickered to what Eggman had told him the night before. Could he really have something that would destroy Sonic so completely that he would give in to him? And if he did, what on Earth was it?

* * *

Sonic tossed and turned in his sheets. The brief sleep he had gotten would not return and eventually he rolled himself out of bed, knowing that he would not be able to rest properly until Tails was found. He paced around his house for a while before he simply could not take it anymore and sped to Amy's house. He knocked just a little too loudly on the door and after a few moments Amy opened it.

"Sonic? Why are you here? What time is it?"

"We have to go, now" Sonic gently grabbed Amy's wrist but she refused to move.

"Why? Sonic, are you okay?"

"What? Of course I'm okay. Now let's go"

"Go where?"

"To find Tails. Come on, we need to find him!"

Amy quickly held Sonic by the shoulders and turned him around to face her before he could go anywhere. She scanned his face for a moment before sighing. It was obvious there would be no way to talk him down from this but she hoped she could at least knock a little sense into him.

"Sonic just listen to me for a second. Do you know where to look? Do you know if he's safe or not? Is there somewhere he might have run off to for some time alone? Does he even want to be found?" When Sonic said nothing in reply, Amy sighed.

"Do you even have something that vaguely resembles a plan?"

Sonic cast his eyes down to the ground and Amy slipped her hands off his shoulders.

"Let's gather everybody up. See if anyone's seen him or knows where he is. If no one knows anything, we can begin a search" Amy smiled softly at him before he nodded. They split up and rounded everyone up. About an hour later, everyone was collected outside Sonic's house.

"The reason you're all here is-" Amy started calmly but Sonic immediately butted in.

"Tails has gone missing. We can't find him anywhere. Has anyone seen him?"

Silence echoed through the crowd and Sonic's heart tensed a little.

"We have to find him!"

"Do you even know where to look?" A voice inside the crowd piped up. Sonic lowered his head but Amy stepped up by his side. She rolled out a map that Sonic hadn't even realised she had been holding and started grouping people up before giving each group a certain area to search. Within 15 minutes everyone was out searching, leaving Sonic to stare at Amy completely bewildered.

"I knew you wouldn't have a plan, so last night I came up with one for you" she smiled sweetly when she noticed the shocked look on his face. Together they went off to the final area that wasn't being searched by anyone else. Sonic's whole body was tense as his eyes scanned around him. After half an hour of searching no one had come up with anything and he was beginning to lose hope. But then his eyes caught something glowing in the sunlight in the hedges to his left. Cautiously he went over to it a gently pried it out from where it had been caught up in the leaves. He held it in his hands for a few moments before he realised what it was and dropped it, gasping slightly.

"What is it?" Amy asked as Sonic's gasp had gotten her attention as well as several others around them.

"Eggman..." Sonic muttered, his fists clenching tightly and his face draining of colour.

"Sonic, what's wrong?" Amy stepped towards him, her hand out stretched.

"It's a button from one of Eggman's stupid jackets" He said a little louder before everything clicked into place in his head and he whipped around to face Amy, who involuntary took a step back.

"Tails! Eggman must have kidnapped him"

Amy's eyes widened with realisation but before she could say anything Sonic sped past her. She tried to run after him but by the time she made it back to Sonic's house everyone was already there; either looking a little ill or glaring angrily at Sonic.

"It's Eggman! He's the one who took Tails" Sonic announced and instantly everyone fell silent.

"And now we need to rescue him" Amy called out as she stepped by beside Sonic once more. He smiled gratefully at her as she calmed everyone down and told them some form of plan. Sonic turned his head up to the bright blue sky.

 _Don't worry buddy, we're coming for you._


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter involves mildly graphic violence. But it's more focused on the character's emotions rather than the physical description of what's happening. Just thought I should warn you.**

The metal door clanged open, shocking Tails into consciousness. Before he was even fully aware of what was happening, cold hands gripped tightly onto his arms and pulled him up. He immediately tried to struggle out of their hold but the hands that Tails now realised belonged to two robots simply squeezed down harder on his arms, causing Tails to let out a gasp of pain.

"Well, it looks like Sonic's time is up" Eggman's voice came from behind him as the robots dragged Tails down the corridor.

"What do you mean? What's going on? Let me go!" Tails kicked at one of the robots but his legs simply bounced off the metallic surface with a loud bang.

"Oh, still have some fight in you then? Good! That will make this far more entertaining" Eggman chuckled darkly causing Tails to involuntarily shiver at the tone of his voice. Suddenly the doors in front of them swung open and Tails was momentarily blinded by the light that flooded out. Once his eyes adjusted, his entire body froze. The room was completely bare apart from a single metal table that slanted diagonally forwards and was bolted to the floor. It had bodily restraints and 5 thick wires leading out from the end, across the floor and out the door behind them. Once Tails' body fired back into motion the two robots already had him pinned against the table. He aimlessly kicked and pushed out at them but their grip was too strong. His arms were thrown above his head and his legs were slightly parted before the metal restraints crashed down to squeeze his wrists, ankles and waist. He winced as the metal cut into his skin and held his body completely firm.

"What are you doing?" Tails yelled with a surprising amount of courage in his voice.

"Bringing Sonic to his knees" Eggman whispered against Tails' ear, causing him to growl low in his throat. But Eggman only laughed before walking away. The door slid open and slammed shut again before a deafening silence echoed around the now empty room. Tails' heart pounded in his chest as his body desperately tried to free itself. But no matter what he did, the restraints would not lift. His eyes slid closed and all he could do was listen to his own, panicked breathing. Everything would be okay. Sonic would burst in any moment now... Tails' eyes suddenly shot open at a loud crash coming from outside the room. His heart swelled fiercely in his chest at the thought of his friends being just on the other side of those doors. But instead of seeing the door crash open, Tails' whole body was suddenly filled with pure agony. His back arched up against the table as the mind-numbing pain ripped down him. It was as though every single cell in his body was trying to fight away from him. His arms and legs tensed and bright, neon colours flashed in front of Tails' eyes before he let out a terrified scream. Tears streamed down his face in a river of fear and torment as his body screamed for mercy. His breath left his lips in rapid, frantic bursts and his fists clenched tightly above him. There was nothing he could do to make it stop; no matter how he moved or what he thought of, the only thing he could focus on was the white hot pain burning through him. A seemingly endless scream exploded from his mouth and his tears dipped down onto his chest. He was completely helpless. He needed to be saved. He needed Sonic...

"SONIC!" Tails finally screamed into the abyss of torture before his mind completely froze and all he could feel was the horrific agony slashing inside him.


	5. Chapter 5

The sound of the machinery relentlessly pounding made it difficult to hear anything but their own whispered voices. After about 2 hours Amy had finally managed to scrape together a decent plan to rescue Tails. Herself, Sonic and Knuckles along with 2 others would make their way into Eggman's lair. Amy would bring down the security systems and Sonic would search for Tails while the rest of them would help keep Eggman's countless robots at bay. But not everything had gone according to plan. There were almost no robots patrolling the area and most of Eggman's security was already down. Everyone celebrated the man's seeming thoughtlessness but Sonic remained cautious. It had been easy to get inside, far too easy. He was almost certain it was a trap but he knew he couldn't turn back now; he had to find Tails. God knows what Eggman had done to him. Quietly the group made their way through the endless corridors, looking for any sign as to where their friend could be.

"We'll find him" Amy squeezed Sonic's shoulder reassuringly as she came up behind him. He flashed her a small, grateful smile. She was about to say something else but Sonic suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.

"What's-" Amy started but Sonic quickly hushed her. Everyone froze and fell silent, staring at Sonic expectantly. Then his entire body tensed and his fists balled by his sides as he turned to them with wide eyes.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Knuckles questioned but then a horrific sound travelled into their ears; the sound of a terrified scream.

"Do you think that's-"

"Sonic!"

They all turned to stare down the corridor at the sound of Sonic's name being screamed in the distance. There was no doubt about it, it was definitely Tails. Amy's eyes flicked back to where Sonic should have been standing but all she saw was a blur of blue fur. Before she knew it, Sonic had disappeared down the corridor towards Tails' voice.

"Wait! Sonic, come back" Amy hopelessly cried out but she knew it was already too late. She ran as fast as she could after him, the others close behind her.

Half way down the corridor Sonic's mind was focused on one thing alone; getting to Tails. His screams had been filled with a pain that sent shivers through the hedgehog's whole body. Whatever Eggman had done to his friend, Sonic was fully prepared to make him pay for it. His heart pounded in his chest as his eyes searched frantically around him even just a glimpse of orange fur. Tails' seemingly endless screams filled Sonic's head and made him dizzy with panic.

"Tails?" he yelled out aimlessly in the hope that his friend might hear him over his own screams. But whether he heard him or not, the only reply that came was more agonized cries. Suddenly Sonic's eyes caught sight of a door to his right. After a few moments Tails wailed again and the sound came from directly behind that door. Sonic immediately ran over to it and began trying to pull it open.

"Hold on, buddy. I'm right here. I'm going to get you out of there I promise!" Sonic punched and kicked at the metal door but nothing he did would make it budge. But then saw a button on the wall behind him. After a firm kick of the button the door cracked open. Sonic squeezed himself through the gap but just as he raised his head a blinding white light filled the room. Once the light faded Sonic opened his eyes to see Tails lying limp against a metal table in the middle of the room. The restraints suddenly snapped opened and his body fell to the ground, hitting it with a soft thud. Sonic rushed over to him and fell to his knees.

"Tails? Come on, wake up. I'm here now, it's okay. I saved you, just like always. Please Tails, you've got to wake up" Sonic gently shook the body in his arms but got no response.

"Oh dear, I guess you just weren't quick enough this time" Eggman's voice drawled sarcastically around the room and Sonic's head shot up to see his face plastered on a partly concealed screen on the wall.

"What did you do to him?" Sonic yelled, pulling Tails' body towards his chest.

"Just a little electricity here and there, but I was never really bothered about what happened to the poor thing. I just wanted you"

"Reverse it! Reverse what you did" Sonic silently cursed the slight crack in his voice.

"I would love to... but I'm afraid I can't. I guess he's gone for good. After all this time he still trusted you so much. But you failed him Sonic, you couldn't save him"

"What do you what from me?"

"Give it all up. Hand over your friends and yourself to me... or your dear friend's death with be for absolutely nothing!" Eggman's face disappeared off the screen as his cackle drifted into silence. Sonic stared down at Tails' body in his arms, tears slowly forming in his eyes.

"Please Tails..." he quietly choked out as Tails' lifeless eyes stared back at him. Sonic heard footsteps and then loud gasps behind him but he did not tear is gaze from his friend's face. How could he have let this happen? They were meant to protect each other, to look after each other. They had been through so much together only to be torn apart. He couldn't go on without him; he had kept him sane and brave all this time, how could he continue alone? Maybe he should give in to Eggman, maybe he should just give it all up...

Slowly Sonic wrapped his arms around Tails' body and slumped himself over him, burying his face in his friend's chest. And gradually he began to cry. The tears seeped into Tails' fur and dripped down Sonic's cheeks. The room became still and silent, nothing but Sonic's quiet sobs filling the metallic air. The rest of the group bowed their heads, silent tears filling their eyes and sobs building in their chests at the sight before them. But then Amy's head was lifted as her eyes caught sight of something odd. She blinked a few times, convinced she was imagining it. But she thought she could see Tails' body beginning to glow. It was a soft, warm light but she was certain it was there. She nudged Knuckles to get his attention and his eyes widened when he saw the exact same thing. The light spread across Tails' body before gently wrapping itself around Sonic, who hadn't seemed to notice what was happening. After a moment, the light grew a little brighter around the two bodies and then faded completely.

"Sonic?" a quiet voice suddenly spoke and everyone held their breath. Sonic pulled himself up to see Tails' blinking up at him.

"Tails?" Sonic gasped, not believing what he saw seeing.

"What happened?"

Sonic suddenly pulled him forward and hugged him tightly. An astonished laugh escaped his lips and Tails replied by wrapping his arms around Sonic's waist. The hedgehog buried his face in his friend's shoulder, a huge grin spreading across his face.

"You saved him" Amy said, utterly bewildered as she examined the machine Tails had been strapped to.

"How?" Sonic mumbled, not leaving the embrace.

"Eggman built this machine with so much hatred that an act of love somehow managed to undo its work..."

"Is that even possible?" Knuckles questioned, walking over to stand next to Amy.

"I don't know. But whatever you did Sonic, I'm glad you did it"

"Me too" Sonic sighed, finally pulling away from Tails' hug but continued to keep him close. He turned to his best friend, a soft smile on his lips.

"Let's go home"


	6. Epilogue

**This is a very Sontails based epilogue. If you do not ship Sontails then please do not read this and take the previous chapter as your ending. Thank you x**

"Mind if I join you?"

Tails turned his head from the last rays of sunlight filtering through the gently swaying trees that stretched out as far as the eye could see to look up at Sonic smiling over at him. He quickly nodded his head for Sonic to join him and his friend stepped beside him. Eggman's torture had hurt Tails tremendously at the time but everyone was grateful to see that no lasting damage had been caused. After a few moments of silence Tails gently nudged his friend's shoulder.

"I never thanked you for saving me" he said quietly, refusing to move his eyes from his feet. Sonic raised his eyebrows at Tails' sudden shyness before a warm smile spread across his lips.

"Of course I saved you. That's we do, remember? We'll always save each other, no matter what"

A silence drifted over them as they both turned their gazes back towards the sunlight sinking below the horizon. Tails could feel his heart pounding in his chest and his hand clutched onto the piece of paper him was still hiding from Sonic. He took a slow- if shaking- breath, convinced himself it was now or never and tapped Sonic's shoulder to get his attention once more.

"While I was trapped in that cell, before Eggman..." Tails trailed off at the memory of the pain but Sonic's hand squeezed his shoulder gently.

"It's okay, you're safe now"

"I know I am, thanks to you. But while I was in my cell I thought I may not get to see you, any of you, again. So I wrote this note" Tails slowly pulled out the slip of paper and presented it to Sonic who cautiously took it. After a brief moment Tails nodded for his friend to read it so Sonic opened up the paper and turned his attention to the words upon it. The letter seemed to be a goodbye message; one section for each of Tails' friends. Sonic's heart constricted in his chest at the heartfelt words directed to each of them. He read through each part until he finally came to the message addressed to him, right at the end of the letter.

 _Sonic,_

 _Thank you for always being there for me, for all the amazing memories we have made together and for trying to save me now. Do not forget the times we had together and know that my last thought will probably be of you. But I do hold a great regret for the many things I never told you. So, as a dying wish I guess, I will tell you them now. I have always wondered what held us together all this time and how a bond such as ours could possibly exist so strongly. And finally I have realised why we are so tightly bound together. You are my friend, that is true. But there is something more to me than that. I believe I love you. I think I always have and I will continue to until the last of my life fades from me._

Sonic stared down at the words, not quite believing his eyes. Slowly he looked up to see Tails staring at the floor, nervously twisting his fingers around each other.

"Tails..."

"It's okay if you don't feel the same way, honestly it really is. I just wanted you to know. But it doesn't have to change anything. And don't say you feel the same just to give me what I-"

Sonic stepped forward and gently pushed his friend's face up so their eyes met and whatever Tails had been about to say melted on his tongue. They looked at each other for a moment, their eyes locked together. For the first time in a long time Sonic began to feel his heart pound in his chest out of anxiety. He didn't what to mess this up. He couldn't lose Tails, not again.

"The love that saved you... wasn't completely platonic" Sonic whispered carefully, as though frightened that speaking too loud or too fast would break something.

"You mean..." Tails eyes widened and Sonic's lips split into a soft smile.

"Yes"

Slowly Sonic slid a hand up Tails' jaw until it was resting comfortably on his cheek. Before even realising what he was doing Tails' eyes flicked down to Sonic's lips before looking back up into his eyes, causing them both to smile a little wider. Slowly, as if unsure of how to go about it, Tails pushed himself up onto his toes and with one final glance back up into Sonic's eyes he pressed their lips together. Tails placed his hands lightly on the Sonic's shoulders for balance and Sonic immediately replied by wrapping his arms gently around Tails' waist. It was like nothing Tails had ever experienced before- the feeling of Sonic's soft lips moving gently with his own. Suddenly he felt Sonic's lips smile slightly against his and whole new wave of happiness washed over him. This wasn't a dream; this was really happening. Eventually Sonic pulled away but he remained close to Tails, pushing their foreheads together.

"You mean everything to me" Sonic whispered, his arms tightening around Tails.

"I couldn't live a day without you" Tails replied and brushed a hand across Sonic's quills. They stayed pressed together for a while until they finally looked back at the final ray of sunlight as it slipped beneath the horizon. It was the end of the day, but the start of a long awaited dream come true as Sonic slipped his hand into Tails' and led him back home.


End file.
